Lamps are not an uncommon feature in motor vehicles. Consumers enjoy having lamps in their cars for a variety of purposes, namely to find objects in the dark or to be able to read a map/directions while driving in the dark. As a result, car manufacturers have met this demand by providing lamps that a user can activate manually by pushing a button or ones that turn on when the vehicle doors open. However, manufacturers have become more and more competitive with each other to create lamps that have lowered costs, higher quality, and take up less space within the motor vehicle headliner.
Having a twist-in lock to the headliner with no screws, clips, fasteners, etc. is a desired feature. While twist-in lock lamp sockets are known in the art, it is generally not used in motor vehicles. Typically, screws or other fasteners are used to attach lamps to headliners. The U.S. Pat. No. 5,357,408, (Lecznar et al.) relates to an interior lamp for an automotive vehicle, which comprises a lens, an illumination source, and a shield. The lamp in the '408 patent also requires screws/fasteners in installing it into the headliner. Adding these parts during installation raises costs of installation and repair, if repair becomes necessary. U.S. Pat. No. 6,092,916 (Davis et al.) utilizes a snap in feature for a ceiling lamp assembly. However, the '916 does not utilize a 3-way connector and is not as compact as this invention.
This present invention integrates a push/push switch that consumers desire with a 3-way connector in a compact body to meet the demands of the industry. This lamp for a motor vehicle utilizes a twist-in feature and eliminates the use of screws or other fasteners to hold the lamp into the headliner. This lamp also uses only one light source to provide illumination. This invention is an improvement over prior art because it adopts the twist-in lock concept, integrates the push/push switch into a connector body, and utilizes the LED light source, the whole lamp assembly then becomes very compact and light weight, can be easily installed to the headliner of a motor vehicle and is a fully functional light with the motor vehicle door opened or as a push/push lamp while the motor vehicle is in motion.